The Magical Herd

The commanding voice, though feminine, came from a pink, armour clad equine.

You hesitatingly reply, indicating you intended no harm. The pony-sized mare regarded you cooly and asked another question. "Do you have a mate?"

That wasn't exactly what you expected to hear. You reply that you did not, at least not in your present company. Maybe she didn't want to have two humans wandering about the forest.

She broke out into a big smile. "Then we'll have to fix that won't we? My name is Heartfelt Warrior and I'm a Battle A'savin. Most of my kind are warriors, but I am special, I am a warrior of Love! It is my duty to ensure all creatures are happily paired, or herded as the case may be. Are you a herd animal? You must excuse me if I don't use the proper name for your grouping, I can't recall it at a moment. So many species to keep track of, so little time!"

You were left speechless for a moment. A matching making warrioress? Then you blush and explain your current love-life situation, but also that it was unlikely that she would be able to find another human to pair you up with, at least in the Realm. She laughs, "Oh, I can find anyone a mate if I put my mind to it."

Deciding that now would be a good time to leave, before you have to return home and explain where you picked up your life partner, you thank Heartfelt greatly and slip away through the trees. You hear as she disappears from sight, "Oh, I understand, you're shy. Don't worry, I'll find the perfect one for you!"

You hurry a little faster....

You almost didn't see the other A'savin until you bumped right into him. He didn't seem to mind, he just beamed happily with a mouthful of ribbons. Then you noticed the little snowflakes on his coat and the reindeer horns. Yo wondered if they were real.

"Hi" he said, or you assumed he said, he still hadn't dropped the ribbons. You introduce yourself and finally he put the ribbons down to tell you his name was Winter Wish. He explained that he was carrying a message of joy and happiness wherever he went. A mischievious streak in you suddenly decided to send him along towards Heartfelt Warrior.

As he trotted off humming a little tune, ribbons once again held carefully between his teeth, you wished you could be there to witness the meeting of the two well-wishes. Perhaps Heartfelt will find her own match in this cheerful little stallion.